Chapter ☯ Five

Instructions

☯ "Baby I'm the reason why Hells so hot" The Hogwarts common room is dark and almost empty. The occasional studying student can be spotted but that is it. The crackle of the fire echos through the room giving the false feeling of calm. I am anything but calm. I pull Links cloak around me tighter scared and move towards the coffee table. I leave a hasty note for Link – "Meeting Mum, don't worry about me. - Rebecca" – I made my way to the castle's courtyard where my trusty broom awaited. The night air was cool and a slight breeze was blowing as I kicked off the ground, soaring into the dark sky. The thrill of flying through the darkness provided a brief escape from the worry and fear that clung to me. As I flew over the moonlit grounds of Hogwarts, I thought about Link. I hope he will be okay. I couldn't help but wonder what Link's reaction would be when he found my note, imagining the confused expressions of my fellow students gathered in the common room. Crossing the ocean on my broom, the rhythmic whooshing of the wind drowned out the racing of my thoughts. The night sky seemed to embrace me, offering safety in its vastness. Touching down in a secluded spot on the other side, I found my mother waiting, her figure a mere silhouette against the moonlit landscape. "You're here," she stated matter-of-factly, as if this were a routine rendezvous. I roll my eyes. I resist the urge to be sarcastic. But I can already feel a part of me shutting down. My normal self hiding, shrinking. The girl my Mother wants me to be comes out. I avert my eyes. "Why the cloak-and-dagger routine?" I asked, unable to mask the frustration in my voice. She smirked, her eyes glinting with glee. "Keeps things interesting, darling. Now, let me fill you in on our little, well trip." She laid out a plan that seemed both stupid and dangerous. My involvement in this left me torn between loyalty to my family (more so fear) and the growing realization that the path she walked was paved with shadows. Back at Hogwarts, the common room buzzed with curiosity. The note I left behind fueled speculation, and little did my peers know that, beneath the moonlit sky, a broomstick carried me into the heart of a clandestine chapter, where choices made in the shadows would echo through the corridors of destiny. The thrill of flying under the moon's gentle glow momentarily pushed aside the weight of my troubled thoughts. The open sky stretched out before me, a canvas of possibilities and uncertainties. The wizarding world below seemed to slumber in blissful ignorance. As we crossed the vast ocean, the worries that had gripped me began to fade. The rhythmic beats of Buckbeak's wings and the distant sounds of the night created a serene backdrop to my clandestine journey. I wondered if Link had found the note yet, imagining the puzzled expressions of my fellow students. Back at Hogwarts, the common room buzzed with confusion. The note I left behind fueled rumors and assumptions that were far from the truth. Little do I know, Link is freaking out and worrying about me. Touching down in a secluded spot on the other side, I found my mother waiting in the shadows. Her presence exuded an air of mystery, but her eyes held a familiarity that betrayed our blood connection. "Rebecca, you made it," she said casually, as if this were just another rendezvous. I couldn't help but retort, "Why all the secrecy? Couldn't you have sent an owl or something?" She chuckled, her amusement unsettling. "This is how we do things, darling. Can't leave a paper trail, can we?" In her normal way, she unveiled a plan that seemed both ambitious and reckless. My role in this scheme left me torn between family loyalty and a growing realization that darkness clung to our every step. I step back nodding along. "Your Father told me you would have to take out-" she begins but I stop her. "My Father?" I ask confused. Isn't he supposed to be dead? My Mother laughs amused, as if enjoying my misery. "Oh I forgot to mention. Your father isn't dead, he is the Dark Lord." ☯